Israel’s health ministry shows Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine is far less effective at preventing infection from the Delta variant.
QUICK FACTS:
- The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination was “just 39% effective at preventing infections,” according to Forbes.
- And the mRNA shot was only “41% effective at preventing symptomatic infections caused by the Delta Covid-19 variant.”
- The data comes from Israel’s health ministry.
- The discovered effectiveness of the Pfizer jab is significantly less than early estimates of 64% from two weeks ago.
- The figures are based on a review of cases studied between June 20 and July 17, according to Israeli news channel i24 News.
- Channel i24 News also noted the Health Ministry’s indication that the vaccine loses effectiveness over time, achieving only 16% effectiveness in preventing coronavirus transmission among those vaccinated in January.
- Ben-Gurion University Epidemiologist Nadav Davidovitch told The Times of Israel, “What we see is that the vaccine is less effective in preventing transmission,” adding, however, that the vaccine does prevent “hospitalization and severe cases.”
- Meanwhile, India’s population is mostly unvaccinated (4% as of June) but mostly immune (67%) to the virus.
BACKGROUND:
- The revelation out of Israel about the Pfizer shot’s effectiveness comes as Israel begins investigating a number of adverse reactions in some of its citizens who received the vaccine.
- Bloomberg notes that Israeli authorities have identified more than 60 cases of heart lining and heart muscle inflammation in vaccinated Israelis.
- Israel is one of the world’s most heavily vaccinated countries but has recently seen the number of positive COVID tests rise substantially (here, here, here). Last Sunday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett issued new restrictions last weekend to “curb” the increase of delta variant infections over the weekend, according to Haaretz. The Jerusalem Post reports 143 Israelis were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Wednesday at 12 pm, according to Israel’s Health Ministry. 58% of them were vaccinated, 39% were not, and 3% were partially vaccinated.
- Meanwhile, a survey in Inda shows 67% of its citizens have covid antibodies—meaning they are protected form the virus—despite only 4% of the populaiton being fully vaccinated.
Jon Fleetwood is Managing Editor for American Faith.
